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Aviation Specialties Unlimited Celebrates 30th Anniversary
Aviation Specialties Unlimited (ASU) recently announced it is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
“For the past 30 years, we have been extremely blessed to make flying at night safer,” said ASU founder Mike Atwood. “HEMS operators, law enforcement, search and rescue, firefighters, military, and defense organizations worldwide placed their trust in us early on. We do not take that trust for granted. I want to thank everyone for their business and loyalty over the past three decades.”
ASU first introduced NVIS systems to the HEMS community in the Asheville, North Carolina, region, equipping the Mountain Area Medical Airlift (MAMA) unit in a mountainous, rural area with F4949 NVGs from ITT. MAMA became one of the first civilian operators to adopt this life-saving technology. Shortly after, law enforcement units also received approval to use NVGs.
ASU quickly expanded beyond equipment sales to meet growing customer needs. The company’s first employee, Hannah Gordon, now serves as chief operating officer. “Sales is only one part of ASU,” said Gordon. “We also added the ability to modify aircraft cockpits, train pilots and crew members, and service goggles to meet the manufacturer requirements and
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customer needs. Everything we strive to do at ASU is intended to help our customers. Our efforts include anticipating their needs and taking steps internally to make sure we help them before, during, and after the initial sale. This enables us to help organizations around the world. Whether they are upgrading equipment, servicing equipment or starting a brand new NVG program, we can help.”
In 2019, ASU once again advanced the industry with the introduction of Aeronox — a lightweight goggle mount and battery pack. Later that year, the company unveiled a prototype of its own NVG: the E3. By 2023, the E3 Goggle entered full production and received FAA approval. Today, nearly 1,000 E3s are in use worldwide.
Over the past 30 years, ASU has sold more than 10,000 night vision goggles — including those from ITT, L3, and its own E3 line. The company has trained over 8,000 pilots, crew members, and FAA inspectors, and modified more than 2,000 aircraft. ASU also holds more NVG Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) than any other organization in the world. “ASU started with a mission to make night flying safer, and we remain committed to that purpose today,” said ASU President Dr. Joseph Estrera. “We’ve evolved from a distributor to a full-fledged NVG manufacturer, and we continue to innovate to support our customers. Thank you to every customer and industry partner who made this milestone possible.”
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